Memories of the incident three months ago flashed through my mind. My fingertips started to tingle, and for a moment, the world seemed to close in. I sucked in a sharp breath and shoved the image of Dr. Pike back into the darkest corner of my mind.
Jay didn’t speak. He just watched me, the soft crackling of the fire in the hearth the only sound for several minutes.
“I’m guessing that’s why you’re here, then?” he said gently. “To get away from your father and this business partner of his?”
The question hung there, suspended in the air. It was pretty dark now, everything bathed in the warm glow of the fire and strategically placed lamps. Whoever designed this place really knew how to make it feel cozy.
Maybe it was the glow, or the comfort of a full stomach, or the expert interior design, but something about the moment loosened my tongue.
“I couldn’t take it at that clinic anymore,” I admitted softly. “And I don’t want to go to dental school just to appease my father. It’s not that I don’t think I’m capable. I mean, I got a 25 on the DAT, so I was confident I’d getin. But if I’m being honest, it’s just not what I want to do.”
Jay whistled. “A 25, huh?” He chuckled. “That’s an insane score, Hope.”
I shook my head, letting out a bitter laugh as I remembered the pain it took to earn it. “It wasn’t easy.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t,” he said. “So if not dentistry, what would you rather do?”
I shrugged. “It’s stupid.”
“I doubt it’s stupid. Come on—don’t leave me hanging.”
I’d never really said it out loud. It took a moment to work up the courage. “I want to be a writer.” The words came out in almost a whisper.
“A writer,” he echoed, surprise curling his lips upward. “That’s not what I expected you to say.”
I frowned. “Why?”
He laughed softly, shaking his head. “I don’t know. You just don’t strike me as someone who gives herself permission to dream.”
The comment hit deeper than I wanted to admit. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked away. “It’s hard to dream big when your life doesn’t make sense,” I said with a weak laugh.
“You’re hoping to get published?”
I let out another soft laugh. “Someday, if I can ever finish the book. I was hoping to find a temporary job here while I wrote it, but it’s been hard to find something when I’ve been in school so long with very little work experience. It also doesn’t help that all my knowledge revolves around teeth. If I can’t find something soon, I won’t have a choice but to go back home.”
A bitter feeling settled in my chest as I realized howmuch I despised my father for setting me up like this—always promising to pay for things, never letting me get a job, assuring me he’d take care of everything. I hadn’t realized that paying for my life, shaping me into his little prodigy, and never letting me stand on my own was his way of controlling me. Making sure I had no choice but to feel completely and utterly dependent on him.
Jay leaned back, studying me again with his dark navy eyes.
“Would you stay a while and try to finish your book if you could find a job?” he asked quietly.
“One hundred percent.” I didn’t hesitate. Despite just running into a bear an hour ago, I still loved it more than the place I’d left behind.
“Hope,” he said, leaning forward, “I think I can help you.”
CHAPTER 12
My brows pulled together. “Help me with what?”
“Find you a job. I’m actually looking for a new hygienist.”
My mouth fell open slightly, and a half-snort, half-scoff escaped me.
“You’re kidding, right? Did you not hear anything I just said?”
Jay didn’t miss a beat. “I think I can change your mind. About dentistry, about dentists. About me.” His voice was so annoyingly confident. And he didn’t seem to be kidding in the slightest.
I shook my head and turned to the windows, staring out at the glassy water, trying not to freak out. He couldn’t possibly be serious about this. It sounded like a recipe for disaster.
